Supplier social value direct to us and working with us to support our communities:
West Mercia Police uses the Pluggin Marketplace to facilitate and contract, track and review all supplier social value through our procurement activity; either directly to our pre-approved community partners or direct to the police community engagement and development initiatives.
For existing and potential suppliers, this page explains how to provide us with social value in a visible and transparent way - which does not breach anti-bribery rules and regulations - so that you can help us deliver public benefit within a contract:
- What social value means to us and our force priorities
- What a direct social value offer is
- How to make a direct social value offer
All Social Value requirements are designed to be proportionate to the contract and relevant to the service being procured.
What Social Value means at West Mercia Police:
In alignment with the Procurement Act 2023, West Mercia Police’s Contracts & Procurement Department has launched a refreshed 5-year strategy.
- Governance – Ensuring transparency, compliance, and accountability in all procurement activities.
- Value – Delivering best-in-class commercial outcomes and maximising taxpayer value.
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – Embedding ethical, environmental, and social considerations into every contract.
What is direct force social value support and how to offer it?
Any existing or prospective supplier to West Mercia Police can opt to support the force in its community-engagement/development activities in line with core strategic objectives. The Pluggin Marketplace is the mechanism which ensures this is clearly logged, specifically itemised and auditable. Supplier social value can be offered: as money towards the logistics of events/initiatives, or can be in-kind donated items or procured products towards the same events/initiatives.
The Pluggin Marketplace converts these into Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound social value which sits on a supply contract with us, and is visible within the public domain.
To offer social value to the force directly, firstly you need to be a Pluggin Marketplace business member (free of charge). Then you use the Marketplace's in-built engine to raise what is known as a SPO - which you then submit to the force Contracts & Procurement team (directly or as part of a bid submission).
Previously, suppliers have not been required to specify exact social value at tender stage. Now, using this process, West Mercia Police is evaluating specific and targeted social value propositions in bids, which are being checked for how they support the delivery of tangible community benefits in line with local objectives.
About the Social Proposal Order (SPO)
The SPO is a digital functionality built-into the Pluggin Marketplace which enables suppliers to Find, Engage-with, Discuss and Agree a level of social value contribution to support with a community provider should a contract be awarded with West Mercia Police; raised as part of the tender bid and submitted by a potential supplier.
This is a digital proposal outline PDF, giving bid evaluators very specific information and references to score against using the Pluggin Marketplace.
ONLY WHEN THE CONTRACT IS AWARDED, does West Mercia Police formalise the SPO as part of the supply contract. It becomes a deliverable and auditable social value agreement for ongoing review.